To whom it may concern

This is a post directed to those of you that hate me.  You know, the ones out there telling me to commit suicide, or saying that I  should be "hogtied" and "dumped at the border".

First off, to address these threats, I openly invite you to make an attempt at hogtying me and dumping me at the US border, for you will, my dear friend, not succeed in this attempt.

Nextly, in defense of myself: I am a deserter.  I willingly admit this.  I am fighting for my beliefs.  I will not back down.  You ask why I do not just serve my time in Ft. Leavenworth?  Well, friends, I know, as well as you do that if I subjected myself to that punishment, I would be completely ineffective in fighting for the cause of the anti-war movement.  So, I will fight going to prison as long as I can.  I have a voice, and I will be heard.

Also, who are you people to question my word?  Have you been in the US Army?  Have you heard men laughing about murder?  Have you been laughed at when you attempted to report war crimes?  Your answer is more than likely, "no".  

So, fuck off.  I refuse to be held back by your Fascist views.  If you are so angry about my desertion, then go to your nearest recruiting office, and sign the dotted line. 

http://dustmybroom.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1620&Itemid=1

PATRIOTISM: A Necessary Evil

Am I a coward?  

Am I less of a man for doing what I've done?

Am I guilty of treason, desertion, and anti-patriotism?

Me.  I am a 20 year-old male.  I'm six feet two, and I weigh in at a whopping one-ninety five.  Currently I am munching on organic chocolate chips, sitting in my girlfriends room, trying to figure things out.  So, I write.  I am going to write.  I will work this out.

I came to Canada with approximately thirty-five dollars in my pocket, a half-empty tank of gas, and a trunk full of clothes.  I was arrested at the border, intimidated by police officers telling me to return home, and jailed for two days.  I knew no one in Canada, and had never even been outside of the United States.  I was running from prosecution, as well as persecution.  I didn't even fully understand why I was doing what I was doing.  I just knew that it was right, and that I had to stand against whatever it was I was fighting.  Now, looking back, I fully comprehend exactly what my enemy is.  It is evil.  It is everything that causes hate in this world.  It is patriotism.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines patriotism quite simply as love for or devotion to one's country.  

So, is patriotism a bad thing?  Well, seeing that it is the cause of millions unnecessary deaths throughout the course of human history, I would say yes.  Think about it.  Without patriotism, would war exist?  Would nations exist?  

So, my next question is this:  Is it possible to live in a world without patriotism?  I think not.  Without patriotism, nations would not exist, nor would tribes, nor would any sort of society.  The world would be one of chaos.  

So, in conclusion, am I to be considered just a Utopian-minded dreamer, or is there really a chance in my "whimsical" thinking?

Maybe.  Just maybe.